In the 12-year period of 2005 through 2016, canines killed 392 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 65% (254) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. | More »

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Pit Bulls Viciously Attack Small DogCalgary, AB - As long as unregulated pit bulls are allowed in our neighborhoods, attacks like Cheryl Beattie's will continue. Increasingly, people cannot let their pets into their own back yard without being at risk. "Animal-aggression" in pit bulls leads to countless pets being injured and killed; it leads to severe human injury as well. Denise Rocha is reportedly facing death after trying to stop two pit bulls from killing her poodle last week.

Over the weekend in Calgary, a vicious attack by two pit bulls left a Pomeranian and its owners traumatized and fearful there will be another mauling before the offending dogs are found. Cheryl Beattie was at her Highland Park home preparing for a weekend away when the attack on five-year-old Shadow unfolded in her fenced back yard. She saw two large, black pit bulls attacking one of her three Pomeranians.

Beattie said that each pit bull had one end of Shadow and were "ripping him apart." She intervened and fortunately did not get harmed. "I was laying on top of Shadow, trying to protect him, trying to rip their jaws apart," she said. As she fought against the two dogs, a stranger came into the yard, began kicking the pit bulls to get them to drop Shadow and then disappeared with the dogs. She said she'd never seen the man before.

Beattie's husband Chris, who arrived back at home in time to witness the end of the attack, rushed Shadow to the nearby vet where he had to undergo more than three hours of surgery. Beattie said the vet staff could not believe her dog survived. She then contacted police and bylaw officers to try to track down the dogs and their owner. She and her husband believe the dogs are connected to a person that rents on their street.

When they tried to talk to the man, he said he didn't know the dogs. When police and bylaw officers approached the home, no one answered the door. This is the usual routine. As long as the dogs cannot be found or their owners cannot be identified, there is little that authorities can do. Meanwhile, the neighborhood is stuck with the pit bulls, which target pets, children, senior citizens and all people who walk their dogs.

If Calgary had a breed-specific law (a pit bull ban like the province of Ontario), they would have more investigative authority. They could likely seize the dogs if they located them as well, regardless of "who" owns them.

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5 comments:

Anonymous | 9/03/2008 7:10 AM | FlagPit nutters often cite Calgary as being a place where non-breed specific laws have lowered bites and overall pet popultion. Bites, they always focus on bites to take your mind off the real problem of severe attacks. Clearly those are still happening and the laws, as wonderful as they might be, and not solving the entire problem. It's going to be interesting to see how the pit bull advocate community handles this case.

And what do pit bull owners think of Calgary? They think it is the model city all other places should base their animal laws off of! Notice no mention of dog attacks, only bites. Whereas Winnipeg did enact a pit bull ban specifically for severe attacks and watched those number drop from 20-25 a year to 1 or 2.

"The bottom line: Calgary enacted dangerous dog legislation in response to an escalating bite problem. The results were incredible. Bites have dropped by 70% and the city's animal control program pays for itself. Police work with animal control in dangerous situations like the one mentioned by Julian Fantino last week; the Calgary approach effectively manages the problems Fantino outlined." http://www.pitbullproject.ca/bsl.htm

mrs.Poodle | 9/03/2008 9:18 AM | FlagMy advice is attack the owner of the pits. Scratch him, pull out some of his hair. That way you have DNA evidence of the owner who is probably allready listed in police records.

Anonymous | 9/05/2008 5:11 AM | FlagPit owners seem to have the dine and dashing attack protocol down to a science.

These to dog killers were probably whisked away somewhere within the bowels of the Pit Bull community to save them.

Anonymous | 8/23/2009 11:40 AM | Flagwe live in bc and last night my girlfriend and granddaugther was attack by two pitbulls in a family area when bylaw officers came and got the dogs they gave them back to the owners and gave us a report to fill out and said there hands are tied this is bullshit. These dogs were not raised as pet they both came at me with force and ready to attack they should be taken away the owners live 5 house away from a park i could be in your area how would you feel if that was your child or your grand child wouldnt you want somethong done and dog atacks anyone they shouldnt be giving back until they really hurt someone as for being a from bc this is not a great experince to come to